Friday, October 9, 2009

The uniquness of Ahh-nuld

Was Arnold Schwarzenegger the only celebrity who reinvented himself twice as a success?

In the '70s, Ahh-nuld moved to America and became the greatest and most famous bodybuilder ever. Then, he became the single biggest action star of the '80s and early '90s, trumping anything he did as a bodybuilder. THEN, for his third act, he was elected governor of California, only the most populous state in the United States. (Important note: I'm calling the election itself a success, not the aftermath, which I can report firsthand has NOT been a success since I'm paying enough in state taxes this year that the Sports Gal and I recently had our first serious "Is it time to end this goofy California charade and move back home to Boston?" conversation.) Now, John Madden nailed three different genres (coaching, announcing, video games), but all of them were related to football in some way. Ahh-nuld hitting three home runs in three totally unrelated genres? No way that happens again. And maybe that's for the best.--Bill Simmons, ESPN.com, on the embodiment of the American Dream